Indian General to command UN peacekeeping force in Sudan

Jan 9, 2006 (NEW DELHI) — If contribution of troops for hotspots around the world was the criterion for deciding membership of the UN Security Council, India would be a member by now. With over 8,000 soldiers deployed in UN operations at present, India will now also provide a force-commander for the peace-keeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

Gen Fazle Elahi Akbar, the former commander of the United Nations in Sudan.

Lt-General Jasbir Singh Lidder has been selected by the UN to head UNMIS, which currently has over 10,000 troops from 42 countries. India also has deployed two infantry battalions and an IAF helicopter squadron in Sudan, where the western region of Darfur continues to witness armed conflict.

“The selection of Lt-Gen Lidder, the additional director-general of military operations at Army HQ before this, is a recognition by the UN of India’s contribution in peace-keeping operations over the years,” said an official.

Lt-Gen Satish Nambiar (erstwhile Yugoslavia), Lt-Gen V Jaitley (Sierra Leone) and Maj-Gen Lalit Tewari (Lebanon) have served as force commanders of UN forces. Another Lt-Gen, R K Mehta, is currently serving as military advisor at the UN HQ.

Of late, India’s troop contribution to UN missions has gone up from 2,300 to over 8,000 now, making it the third largest contributor to military operations under the UN flag.

It has been one of the largest troop contributors to UN right since the first mission in Korea in 1950, with over 70,000 soldiers being sent overseas for such operations over the years.

At present, a brigade of Indian soldiers is deployed in the UN mission in Congo (MONUC), apart from battalions in UNMEE (Ethiopia-Eritrea) and UNIFIL (Lebanon), among others.

Just two weeks ago, an Indian junior commissioned officer was killed and four soldiers injured in strife-torn Congo, still grappling with an ethnic civil war. Overall, India has lost over 110 personnel in the 40 UN missions it has participated in since Korea.

Participation in UN missions is, however, a prized posting for Indian soldiers since it’s an opportunity for them to earn allowances in dollars, over and above their Indian rupee salaries.

(Times of India)